The recently retired executive director of Clergy Trust, Joe D'Arrigo, recently received the inaugural St. Joseph Exemplar Opificum ("A Model of All Who Labor") Award from the Archdiocese of Boston's Clergy Trust. Due to concerns about the pandemic, the award was presented at a small gathering in downtown Boston by Clergy Trust Chair Mark Vachon.

At the request of Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley, D'Arrigo helped to establish Clergy Trust, an independently managed trust that provides ongoing care and support for the health, well-being, and retirement of all active and senior diocesan priests in good standing across the Archdiocese of Boston. Retiring in June after more than 12 years of service as executive director, D'Arrigo was the first-ever recipient of this new award that was created to honor those who have shown exemplary service to the priests of the Archdiocese of Boston.

The concept for the award came from Father Gerry Petringa, trustee emeritus of Clergy Trust, and the name was created by Bishop Mark O'Connell, vice-chair of Clergy Trust.

The recognition is of particular importance given that this is the Year of St. Joseph, patron saint of workers.

When presenting the award, Vachon stated that, not only does D'Arrigo share his name with the namesake of the award, but also consistently shares St. Joseph's characteristics. His dedication to the priests of the Archdiocese of Boston, his commitment to the archdiocese and the mission of the Catholic Church, his ability to be an outstanding leader and model of professionalism, and his willingness to put the needs of others before his own, made him an ideal choice for the inaugural award.

Bishop O'Connell added that if you were to ask diocesan priests about Joe D'Arrigo they would probably tell you he is a dogged advocate, a loyal friend, a shrewd businessman, and they would surely agree he is a "model of all who labor"

True to the nature of a "humble worker," D'Arrigo's retirement has been filled with doing what he can for others. Taking the reins from his longtime friend Don Rodman, who passed away in 2020, D'Arrigo currently serves as president of Rodman for Kids. He also sits on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester.